Umbrellas are widely used for personal or garden protection. There are a variety of umbrellas available in the market which are used to protect a user from rain, sun and and/or wind. An umbrella is basically made up of a frame and a fabric cover fixed to the top section of an umbrella. A basic umbrella frame essentially comprises of a rigid shaft and a plurality of ribs or spokes attached to the top of the central shaft. There is a movable element provided along the central rigid shaft for moving up and down to facilitate the opening and closing of the umbrella.
In the umbrella system retail market, umbrellas are categorized on the basis of their size, durability, maintainability and mechanical strength. These are the important parameters to determine an umbrella's suitability for use in a particular environment and for a particular customer.
There have been reported numerous cases where the umbrella structure has collapsed or broken due to use over time or in extreme and challenging environments. For example, umbrellas can be damaged by severe and unexpected weather and strong winds, which can cause component parts of the umbrella frame to become cracked or bent. Others suffer damage as a result of improper handling, such as while transporting them from one location to another quickly or recklessly and/or as a result of improper installation. Many of the umbrellas known in the art suffer the disadvantages of not being able to withstand strong winds or other harsh weather, as well as not being capable of simple repair when damage does occur. Such cases happen due to the use of downgrade material in umbrella manufacture and more importantly due to faulty umbrella designs which have relatively weaker mechanical strength.
Henceforth, the strength of the umbrella frame is of much importance to a user, since in extreme wind conditions or other scenarios where the strength of the umbrella frame is to be tested a stronger and mechanically stable umbrella assembly provides a better service to the end user and a longer operational life. There have been a number of attempts to increase the strength of an umbrella frame by using reinforcements, accessories along the ribs or spokes to provide a stronger system. However, much has not been achieved since the use of additional parts have resulted in increase of weight, complex design and made the umbrella less desirable to be used frequently.
Thus, there exists a need for an umbrella frame having a strong and stable mechanical assembly which can provide to the user complete value and satisfaction with an efficient and longer operational life.